Shipping crate or case



2 SheetsSheet 1.

(No Model.)

B. A. WOLFE &-P. E. HART. SHIPPING CRATE OR CASE.

Patented Apr. 5

iaq mfl x74; Haze? 5 Wii Qzss W 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

B. A. WOLFE & P. E. HART.

SHIPPING CRATE 0R CASE.

Patented Apr. 5

Z a P L W A P V Q i um QIN Z w i. @fl w 2 J W .M w

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF C EDGAR A. WOLFE PETER E. HART, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

SHIPPING CRAT E- OR CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 601,695, dated April 5, 1898.

Application filed April 28, 1897. Serial No. 634,240. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDGAR A.WOLFE and PETER E. HART, citizens of the United States, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented a new and useful Shipping Crate or Case, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to shipping-crates, and has for its object to provide a simple and eflicient construction adapted for folding into compact form for return shipment, provision being made in the interior of the folded device for containing one or more transverse partitions and for fillers, such as cells used in shipping eggs.

A further object of the invention is to provide a crate of folding construction wherein the top or cover constitutes means for holding the folding parts of the crate in either their operative or their folded positions, said top or cover being the only part of the crate which is detachable from the main or body portion, consisting of the bottom, side, and

- end walls.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a crate constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sec tion of the same, showing in dotted lines the position of the side and end walls when folded. Fig. 3 is a transverse section showing in dotted lines the positions of the side walls when folded. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the crate folded. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the same.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates the floor or bottom of the crate, from the side and end edges of whichrise flanges 2 and 3, upon which are hinged the folding side and end walls 4 and 5. The side walls are hinged in contiguous planes, whereby when folded inwardly, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, they occupy parallel planes,

and the end walls are hinged in a common plane above the planes-of the lower edges of the side walls, whereby said end walls are adapted'to fold inwardly upon the upper side of the uppermost side wall, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the end walls being provided at their upper edges with corner-clips 6, forming stops to limit the outward-swinging movement of the side walls. An intermediate partition 7 is removably fitted in the crate, with its side edges engaging opposite alined grooves 8, formed in the inner surfaces of the side walls.

The top 9 is provided with depending end flanges 10, adapted to bear against the outer surfaces of the end walls and provided in their inner surfaces with horizontal grooves 11 to receive horizontal webs orkeys 12, fixed to said end walls parallel with their upper edges and projecting outwardly beyond the surfaces of the walls. It will be seen that the top or cover may be slid into place after the end and side walls have been extended to their operative positions, (shown in full lines in Figs. 2 and 3,) and when in place the top or cover may be secured by any suitable form of catch, such as the spring-bolt 13. (Shown in Fig. 2.) This bolt in the construction illustrated is accessible for repression in order to release the cover through a perforation 14, formed in the flange of the cover in alinement with the bolt, a nail or other thin tool or analogous object being adapted to be inserted through said opening. I

V In order to enable the folded side and end walls of the crate to be secured, we alsoprovide the end flanges 3 of the bottom with webs or keys 12, similar to the webs or keys 12 and adaptedto be similarly engaged by the flanges 10 of the top or cover, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

From the above description it will be seen that the crate embodying our invention may ment, the parts being secured in their folded positions by the same means which are employed for securing the parts when extended,

and the mounting of the side and end walls at an interval from the bottom of the crate provides a space or compartmentbelow the be folded into compact form for return ship- From the above description it will be seen, furthermore, that the top or cover is the means for holding the folding parts of the crate in either their extended or their folded positions, and by reason of the sliding interlocking connection between the top or cover and the body portion of the crate (the opposite end walls and the corresponding ends of the bottom being provided with duplicate means for engagement with the top or cover) we are enabled to secure the top or cover to the body portion of the crate when the latter is either extended or folded without the use of any other detachable part than the top or cover. In other words, the crate embodying our invention consists of only two detachablyconnected members, one member consisting of the bottom, side, and end Walls and the other member consisting of the top or cover.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention. I

Having described our invention, what we claim is- 1. A shipping-crate of two-part construction, one part consisting of a bottom, and side and end walls hingedly connected to the bot-, tom to fold inwardly and occupy positions approximately parallel with the bottom, and said end walls and the ends of the bottom being provided with duplicate exterior projecting ribs arranged transverselyparallel with the bottom, and the other part consisting of a top or cover, separable from the first-named part, and provided with fixed depending end flanges provided in their inner surfaces with grooves to receive the ribs and form an interlockingconnection between the members of the crate, substantially as specified.

2. A shipping-crate comprising a body portion having a bottom provided with upstandin g side and end flanges forming a receptacle, and side and end walls hingedly connected respectively to the side and end flanges of the bottom and adapted to fold inwardly over said receptacle to occupy positions approximately parallel with the bottom, said end walls and 'the end flanges of the bottom being provided EDGAR A. WOLFE. PETER E. HART.

WVitnesses:

W. J. MITCHELL, F. F. G LMARTIN. 

